Posted on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 @ 05:00 PM
Hunterdon Academy of the Arts is excited to welcome Erin Chassey as the new conductor of our Training and Advanced Choirs. Ms. Chassey is succeeding Kimberly Hill, who is leaving us this summer to take up a full-time teaching position out of state.
Known to many students and parents in our community, Ms. Chassey has established herself as a masterful conductor of children's choirs through her outstanding work in the Clinton Township School District. Ms. Chassey, who holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education from Westminster Choir College, previously taught at the Florence Township School District, serving as general and vocal music teacher.
Ms. Chassey is a specialist of the Orff and Kodaly methods of teaching music, which she uses with amazing results. Singing, dancing, playing, and improvising, her students develop a love for music and the process of learning it, as Ms. Chassey's impressive Clinton performances have shown.
To allow Ms. Chassey to bring the full range of her expertise and teaching talents to Hunterdon Academy of the Arts, we have redefined our traditional "Advanced Choir" to include an instrumental Orff component. Starting September, the reconfigured "Advanced Choir and Orff Ensemble" will perform in a dual capacity, as a vocal ensemble as well as an instrumental ensemble playing a wide range of HAA's Orff instruments (Xylophones, Metallophones, Glockenspiels, and other small percussion). Imagine how much fun this is going to be!
The new Advanced Choir and Orff Ensemble is open to all students in grades 4 to 6. No audition is required. Call 908-782-4943 to enroll today!
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Posted on Mon, Feb 01, 2010 @ 05:00 PM
I grew up loving music. I'm not exactly sure why, but it's always been something inside me I can actually feel. My parents weren't musicians, although my Dad regularly played his Broadway cast albums on Sunday mornings. We couldn't
afford piano lessons until I was ten years old. By then my Aunt Marie had taught me some notes and I could pick out a few tunes on her piano. To my surprise, once I started
lessons, the music was not automatic. I really expected to be able to sit down and just play!
I practiced without being asked, and my younger brothers begged me to stop
singing around the house. In fact, one brother thought my new husband had made a major mistake by buying me a piano for our new home! I still have that piano and try to play it every day. I'll never be a virtuoso, but when I am angry or stressed or lonely, that's where I like to go. With five children, I'm sure my parents could have used the money they paid for my
music lessons for many other things. I am ever grateful they gave me the gift of music. I treasure it every day.
By Michele Collins
Kindermusik Educator
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Posted on Sun, Jan 24, 2010 @ 07:42 AM
Hunterdon Academy of the Arts proudly announces its new Blog--"Music and Art for All." Visit us and join the conversation! We would like to hear your thoughts on music and arts instruction and related topics. Post your questions, share your ideas, and become a resource for each other!
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